The world's largest coral restoration program is bringing back to life one of the most majestic and yet human-affected reefs in Indonesia. Hope Reef was launched in 2019 and by now the coral cover has increased from 5% to 55%, resulting in an abundance of fish and the return of sharks, rays and turtles to the area.
The initiative belongs, figuratively speaking, to cats - it is promoted and fully funded by SHEBA, a renowned manufacturer of food for these pets. To implement the plan, the foundation for a new reef in the form of the word Hope was equipped near Sulawesi in Indonesia, on the Spermonde archipelago. It consists of many interconnected reef stars - two-foot steel fragments sprayed from several layers of sand to create a rough surface. Together they create a solid, openwork structure on the seabed with plenty of room to grow, which scuba divers then repopulate with fragments of coral.
In less than three years, the transplanted corals have grown and made HOPE visible from the skies, including on Google Earth. Soon the corals will grow so big that the outline of the word will dissolve into thickets. Hope Reef plans to restore reefs by the end of 2029, covering an area almost equivalent to 150 Olympic swimming pools.
Scientists warn that 90% of the world's coral reefs will disappear from Earth by 2043 due to climate change and human intervention, but a new and innovative method could save them from extinction.
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